Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Cab-hailing app Hailo to shut down

If you used the Hailo smartphone app to find a cab, you'd better look for an alternative. The City Paper is reporting that Hailo is ceasing all North American operations soon.

The app charges $1.50 to a hail a regular DC taxicab, and some folks I know swear by it. There's also one called MyTaxi, which seems to do the same thing without a fee, though I haven't used it. And there's alternatives to taxis like Uber, Lyft and Sidecar.

The city's Taxicab Commission has also mentioned a potential official cab-hailing app for city taxis, but considering how long it took to get credit card readers in all cabs, we may be waiting a while.

Hailo is closing its office at 9th and U, and will be focusing on Europe and Asia.